We have access to the best travel insurance products on the web for the UK pensioner and will ensure your online research is easier than ever!

TRAVEL INSURANCE LATEST

Britain’s markets watchdog on Tuesday opened a public consultation to see if changes are needed to make it easier for people with cancer to get travel insurance.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said it was also looking at the reasons for pricing differences in premiums quoted by insurers. The consultation is part of a wider look at problems some consumers can face when trying to buy travel insurance aged people..

The FCA said insurance markets were becoming more segmented with the use of “big data” - or very detailed information about which customers pose the highest risk to insurers.

Such customers may have to “navigate an increasingly complex and confusing market” to find insurers willing to cover them.

“These issues are particularly apparent for those with, or recovering from, cancer,” the FCA said.

The Association of British Insurers, an industry body, said travel insurance is widely available for people who have long-term and serious health conditions, including people who have cancer.

Will I still need travel insurance after Brexit?

Many Brits are wondering whether they still need travel insurance for trips to Portugal? Well the answer is as it always has been. YES! Even before the whole Brexit thing kicked off, we always needed travel insurance to EHIC countries. Whether EHIC remains is another question, but any visit to Portugal should always include travel insurance!

Heading to Malaysia?

Malaysia is much more quiet compared to it's northern neighbour Thailand as it gets far less tourist crowds. If you are heading to Malaysia then ensure you have the appropriate travel insurance cover for Malaysia as medical bills can be very high!

More trouble in Thailand

Tourists are being warned to "exercise extreme caution" in Thailand after a wave of co-ordinated explosions left several people dead and dozens more wounded.
The Foreign Office updated its travel advice following multiple blasts in Hua Hin, Trang and Surat Thani and was "urgently clarifying" reports of a further explosion in Phuket.

Among the injured were 10 foreigners in the seaside resort town of Hua Hin (pictured above and below), which was hit by two explosions on a busy street on Thursday night and by two further blasts on Friday morning. As with all foreign travel it's essential to have saga travel insurance for over 85s if heading overseas.

Brits are seeking safer Destinations

Some travel agents are offering up to 40 per cent off Turkey trips - after bookings to the terror-hit country have plunged at a similar rate.

Capital Ankara was rocked over the weekend when Kurdish rebel bombers killed 37 people in attacks , the second bloodbath there in a matter of weeks.

Brits have instead flocked to buy up holidays to "save havens" Spain and Portugal, resulting in a shortage in trips available during the school holidays.

Fran Brehany, from Holiday Travel Watch, says agents must advertise holidays to terror-hit countries "responsibly", and not use customers as "foot soliders in the battle against guns and bullets".

He also said agents are hiking prices for holidays to the Med as bookings surge, and customers should expect packages not to be as cheap as in "ordinary circumstances".

He told Daily Star Online: "In the Sri Lankan civil war specialist travel agents offered unbelievable value holidays to Sri Lanka. It is the same again now.

"You should think very carefully about how to sell holidays that carry a risk.

Visit the Great Barrier Reef before it's too late

Parts of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef face permanent destruction if the latest El Niño does not ease this month, scientists said in Sydney last week.

The El Niño is a result of a warming of the ocean in the western Pacific — ideal conditions for coral bleaching, where coral expels living algae, causing it to calcify. Coral can survive only within a narrow band of ocean temperature.

The scientists said areas of the Great Barrier Reef, a World Heritage site, are experiencing the worst bleaching in 15 years.

Coral around Lizard Island off the tropical city of Cairns has seen the most widespread bleaching, with 80 percent of its coral bleached under unrelenting sunlight, said Anne Hoggett, director of the Lizard Island Research Station.

“Bleaching is a clear signal that living corals are under physiological stress. If that stress is bad enough for long enough, the corals can die,” said Russell Reichelt, chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

Older people are using online tools and apps more than was ever thought. Research conducted as seen a massive rise in the silver surfer using the Internet to plan their trips around Europe and beyond.

Older travellers are no longer just relying on local travel shops and agents on the high street, they are turning to their smart phones, ipads and desktop computers for the latest travel deals.

The over 85s are now booking such travel products as hotel rooms, flights all over the World, car hire and rental as well as travel insurance and medical cover.

AA TO STOP AGE RISTRICTIONS ON TRAVEL INSURANCE OVER 80s

The AA will stop restricting holidaymakers aged over 79 from taking out travel insurance cover for single trips from November 5.
Finding travel affordable travel insurance can be impossible for older travellers, with the majority of firms imposing age limits.
While the AA will keep its age limit of 79 on annual policies, it will axe the limit on single trips. It will also offer more generous medical underwriting.
Those who suffer from mild asthma or angina, for example, currently have to pay a small premium on top of their normal travel insurance cost.
But when the changes take effect they will no longer have to. Mobile phones will also be automatically covered, which they aren't at present.
Of the 543 travel insurance policies available for single trips just 75, including those from LV=, the Post Office and Saga, have no maximum age, according to research by price comparison website GoCompare.

Some such as Protect Your Bubble cover customers only up to the age of 54. Aviva and Axa Direct won't cover anyone over 80, while Barclays' age limit is 70.
RBS requires its packaged current account customers to inform the bank when they turn 70. After this they will pay a £50 supplement a year and undergo medical screening. Only their premium Black Account policyholders don't have to do this.
Meanwhile, M&S restricts single-trip customers over 80 from travelling to the USA.
A spokesperson for the AA says: 'The details have yet to be finalised, but we are looking forward to introducing the improvements in early November and making our travel cover more competitive.

The subsidiary of Mapfre Assistance in the Middle East has reached an agreement with GIG (Kuwait's leading insurance group) to provide travel insurance to Kuwait Airways customers who hold an Oasis Gold loyalty card.

With this agreement, Mapfre Assistance begins to market its travel insurance in the Kuwaiti airline sector; also, both GIG and Mapfre Assistance will be able to offer distinguishing added value and consolidate their position as suppliers of these customized solutions in Kuwait.

This collaboration confirms the expansion of Mapfre Assistance in the Middle East; online bookings in this region have doubled between 2011 and 2014 due to a predominantly young population that is aware of new technologies and demands more travel insurance.

Gulf Insurance Group (GIG) was established in 1962 with the name Gulf Insurance Company KSC (GIC). It is a public shareholding company listed on the Kuwait stock exchange and the market leader in Kuwait in terms of issued premiums. Gulf Insurance has become one of the biggest insurance groups in the Middle East and North Africa, with subsidiaries in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Bahrain, UAE and Kuwait.

Mapfre Assistance is the trademark of Mapfre Asistencia, a leading company specializing in assistance, service provision and insurance for specialty risks. It offers comprehensive solutions to its clients in four main sectors: insurance, including specific solutions for brokers, finance, automobile and travel and tourism, as well as products for individuals.

Mapfre Asistencia is directly present in 44 countries and has more than 1,572 corporate clients. It operates around the world and 198 million people benefit from its services.

INJURED ABROAD ON HOLIDAY OVER 85s?

What to do if you have suffered an injury while on holiday abroad

This short guide is designed to help anybody who has suffered a personal injury while on holiday in a foreign country.

We understand that suffering an injury can at any time can be traumatic but even more so when you are away from home and not sure how to proceed. It is hoped that this guide will answer any questions you may have.

A team have dealt with numerous different types of claims for injuries that have occurred in foreign countries including road traffic accidents, food poisoning and injuries caused by holiday activities like paragliding, waterskiing and diving.
A lot depends on how you initially booked your holiday, see below:

If you have booked your holiday through a tour operator, they are responsible and your claim can be handled in the English or Welsh courts. The tour operator does need to be an ATOL protected provider so it is worth checking when booking your holiday.
However, if you book your holiday through a travel search website like Travel Republic or Last minute, you will most likely not be covered as they do not sell, organise or arrange package holidays; they just allow users to browse offers. In this case, the injured party would have to instruct solicitors from within that country to pursue a claim directly as it would be out of UK jurisdiction. It is worth highlighting that doing this can be prove to be expensive.
If you have booked your holiday using a credit card, you may also have some level of protection as there are means by which injured parties can claim from their credit card provider.

If you have booked your holiday by some other means or are travelling independently, there are travel insurance providers who offer compensation should you suffer an injury. It is worth taking out travel insurance if you are going on holiday or travel regularly.
No matter how you booked your holiday and even if you don't fall under any of the categories above, you should contact a law firm that are experienced in handling claims for personal injuries suffered when abroad.
Immediately after the accident, you should report the accident and consequent injuries to the hotel where you are staying and/or the tour operator you travelled with (if applicable).

Arrangements should be made for the injured party to receive the necessary medical care and attention.
Following treatment, you should ask for a written accident report including details of your injuries and if possible have photographs taken of the injuries.
It is also important to get witness statements from any other holiday makers or people who witnessed the accident. Make sure to get their contact details so they can be contacted in the future.

It is also critically important that you do not accept any financial offers of compensation until you have received expert legal advice.
Different countries have different processes for dealing with personal injury claims with different limitation periods for making a claim. For example, in Spain, you must begin proceedings within a year of the accident which is in contrast to France where the limitation is 10 years. Accidents that occur on a plane or boat/cruise generally have a limitation of 2 years.

NORTH SOUTH DIVIDE TRAVEL INSURANCE

Age UK warns that a "concerning" north/south divide is rising across the country, with over double the quantity of these aged over sixty five mistreatment on-line services in Surrey compared to Tyne and Wear.

It found solely four regions wherever the proportion of previous individuals attached to the online outnumbered people who don't use the net.

Those while not access to on-line services area unit unable to require advantage of the numerous web-based offers out there, together with appreciable discounts once shopping for things like seniors travel insurance over the net.

David noble, of Age UK, delineated it as "concerning" that in some components of the country over double as several older individuals area unit ready to access the advantages of being on-line than in alternative areas.

He needs the govt, native authorities and businesses to produce larger help for individuals over the age of sixty five once it involves mistreatment the net.

The study found older people with lower wealth, those living alone and people in comparatively worse health area unit least probably to access on-line services.

Those in Tyne and Wear area unit least probably to possess embraced the digital age, with simply twenty eighth within the region mistreatment the net.

In comparison, sixty three of their counterparts in Surrey - one in all the four counties wherever a larger variety of older individuals area unit on-line than offline - use the online. the opposite 3 area unitas are Suffolk, Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire.

"More services from the non-public and public sectors area unit moving on-line in an exceedingly bid to create important price savings," intercalary Mr noble.

"However, if they need older individuals to use these services, they have to assist them get on-line within the initial place with tailored and current support.

Latest from travel insurance world is that sites like over80.co.uk are expected to face a significant increase in the number of compensation claims made, it has been revealed.

According to the law firm Travelaw, as the financial crisis continues, insurers may witness a rise in the number of claims made.

Stephen Mason, Managing partner of the British firm stated that already there had been an increase in the number of claims filed over the winter.

The firm warned insurers that as the current economic climate continues to fall, more holidaymakers will ensure they get what they paid for.

He said: "On the one hand travel companies are facing more claims and on the other they have fewer staff to deal with them.

It's been a pattern in the last few downturns. When times are hard and affording a holiday is pushing the budget, claims are much more likely."

Its never been more important to get cheap seniors insurance

Most trips and holidays from the UK are to the continent and it has never been more expensive for Brits to travel there thanks to the strong Euro.

Thats why you should shop around for both currency exchange and good european travel insurance cover.

Why are we different?

We specialise in providing travel insurance options for older people in the UK and specialise in trips to Europe and beyond.

We will shortly be providing full reviews of some of the most popular travel insurance providers for the over 80s such as Insure for All, Marks and Spencers, Direct Line and Churchill.

Easyjet to Launch in flight travel insurance over 80

The airline has made the move in response to research suggesting that one in five UK holidaymakers set off on their vacations uninsured, which in easyJet's case equates to around 20 to 30 people per flight.

Passengers in-flight can choose from a five-day or 14-day adult single trip European policy, which covers medical emergencies, loss of baggage and passport, personal accident and personal liability, with prices starting from £15.00 per person.

Customers are then presented with a pack, which includes the policy wording and other important information such as medical assistance and claims telephone numbers.